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The Chief Secretary’s Office, 1853-1914: a bureaucratic enigma

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 July 2016

Kieran Flanagan
Kieran Flanagan*
Affiliation:
University of Bristol
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Extract

It is not surprising that Raymond Williams should cite Lady Morgan’s comment in 1818 that Ireland had for long been governed by a ‘bureaucratie or office tyranny’ as an early example of the use of the term. Dublin Castle, ‘the architectural emblem of England’s rule over Ireland’, with its extensive coercive and financial powers, appeared to many as a ‘congested district of impervious officialdom’ This unique apparatus of state was characterised by The Times as a ‘narrow bureaucracy saturated with bad traditions of race and creed’ The term ‘bureaucracy’ formed part of mid-Victorian political rhetoric. It cannot be seen as a sociological distortion of administrative history resulting from a rigid application of Max Weber’s ‘ideal type’, an analytical concept central to his writings on bureaucracy Dublin Castle represented a pure bureaucracy of a type the English press feared and assumed to be a continental aberration. To the nationalists, the Irish form of rule was seen as a ‘nominal parliamentary government really ruled by a bureaucracy’ The political structure within which the bureaucracy operated rendered it unrepresentative and unaccountable to parliament, and a constitutional enigma in growing debates on ministerial and civil service power.

Type
Research Article
Information
Irish Historical Studies , Volume 24 , Issue 94 , November 1984 , pp. 197 - 225
Copyright
Copyright © Irish Historical Studies Publications Ltd 1984

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References

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26 MacDonnell to his wife, 11 Nov. 1902 (Bodl., MS. Eng.Hist. c 216).

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32 Report from the select committee on miscellaneous expenditure, pp 294-303, H.C. 1847-8 (543), xviii, pt. I, 359-67.

33 Report from the select committee on civil service appointments, pp 331-3, H.C. 1860 (440), ix, 367-9. Burke was then private secretary to Edward Cardwell, then chief secretary.

34 Reports of the commission to inquire into the method of selecting civil servants in first instance the principles upon which men should be transferred from office to office; the possibility of grading the civil service as a whole, and the system under which it is desirable to employ writers, & c. [C 1113, 1226, 1317], H.C. 1875, xxiii.

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41 Hansard 5 (commons), lxxxiv. 2146(31 July 1916).

42 Hansard 3 (commons), cccxlvi, 1334 (10 July 1890, J. G. Swift McNeill). A copy of costs of the household of the lord lieutenant for the estimates for 1916-17 is located in Bodl. Nathan MS Eng.Hist. 475.

43 Memorandum by Ignatius O’Brien, lord chancellor of Ireland, 22 Feb. 1917, on relative functions of lord lieutenant and chief secretary for Ireland (S.P.O.I., C.S.O., R.P 22281/20).

44 Hansard 3 (commons), cccxxxi, 868 (3 Dec. 1888).

45 The Times, 26 Mar. 1858 (N.L.I., Larcom papers, MS 7505).

46 Hansard 3 (commons), cxlix, 714 (25 Mar. 1858).

47 Irish Times, 2 Mar. 1876.

48 Ibid., 14 Mar. 1876.

49 An Irishman, Thoughts on a viceroyalty (Dublin, 1861). Some of these points are also covered in an undated confidential memorandum (B.L., Add. MS 44617, ff 120-30). See also memorandum of conversation between Gladstone and the queen (B.L., Add. MS 44224, ff 174-82).

50 Memorandum to Edward Cardwell, 1860 (N.L.I., Larcom papers, MS 7504).

51 The Times, 6 Oct. 1864 (ibid., MS 7506).

52 Northern Whig, c. 1858 (cutting in ibid.).

53 Nation, 29 Dec. 1860 (ibid., MS 7505).

54 Dublin Evening Post, 25 Oct. 1864 (ibid., MS 7506). See also Tracey, Thomas, The Irish viceroyalty (Dublin, 1864), p. 15.Google Scholar A copy of this is in the same place.

55 Irish Times, 21 Jan. 1861 (N.L.I., Larcom MS 7505).

56 Nation, 13 July 1861 (ibid.).

57 Irish Times, 22 Dec. 1860. This point was taken up earlier in a letter from Carlisle to Palmerston, 26 June 1857 (N.L.I., Larcom papers, MS 7504).

58 Hansard 3 (commons), cxlix, 715 (25 Mar. 1858).

59 Quoted in memorandum of 1917 on lord lieutenant and chief secretary (S.P.O.I., C.S.O., R.P., 22281/20).

60 Memorandum to brief members of the government for debate on Irish executive, 25 Oct. 1860 (N.L.I., Larcom papers, MS 7504).

61 Barry O’Brien, R., Dublin Castle and the Irish people, pp 19–27.Google Scholar Comments on the number of Irish and English chief secretaries were made by John Redmond (Hansard 4 (commons), cxli, 626 (20 Feb. 1905)).

62 Hansard 3(commons), ccxliv, 301-2 (6 Mar. 1879, Richard O’Shaughnessy). See also speech of Alexander Sullivan, same date (ibid., cols 314-31).

63 Hansard 3 (commons), cccxlvi, 1368 (10 July 1890).

64 McDowell, R. B., The Irish administration, 1801-1914 (London, 1964), p. 59.Google Scholar

65 Dublin Evening Mail, 3 Feb. 1858 (N.L.I., Larcom papers, MS 7505).

66 Hansard 3 (commons), cl, 1454 (3 June 1858). Larcom denied this was the case in a letter to Lord Naas, 7 June 1858 (N.L.I., Larcom papers, MS 7504).

67 The issue of the relative powers of the two offices had arisen in 1907. In a memorandum on the division of powers, drawn up by Sir Frederick Cullinan, principal officer of the finance division, the duties of the two offices were listed. In a minute attached, Cullinan noted that no memorandum existed in the chief crown solicitor’s department and that information drawn up for Lord John Russell’s bill, 17 May 1850, would have to suffice. The memorandum of 1917 drew from Cullinan’s listing. (S.P.O.I., C.S.O., R.P. 22281/1920). For a newspaper account of a public understanding of the distinction between the two posts, see editorial in Daily Express, 10 May 1882.

68 Notes (possibly by Gladstone), undated but c. July 1871 (B.L., Add. MS 44760).

69 Larcom to Cardwell, undated but probably before Oct. 1860 (N.L.I., Larcom papers, MS 7504).

70 Larcom to Naas, 7 June 1858 (ibid.).

71 Larcom to Cardwell, n.d. (ibid.).

72 Gerth, Hans and Mills, Charles Wright (eds), From Max Weber (New York, 1958), p. 232.Google Scholar

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74 Dublin Evening Post, 5 Dec. 1869 (N.L.I., Larcom papers, MS 7572).

75 Memorandum of conversation between Gladstone and the queen (B.L., Add. MS 44224, ff 174-82).

76 Larcom to Cardwell, n.d. (N.L.I., Larcom papers, MS 7504).

77 Davitt, Michael, Leaves from a prison diary (2 vols, London, 1885), ii, 178.Google Scholar

78 Copy of a letter from the chief secretary for Ireland, dated January 1854, recommending that the office of under-secretary should in future be considered of a permanent character, p. 1, H.C. 1868-9 (70), 1, 775.

79 Memorandum from Sir Joseph West Ridgeway to chief secretary, 25 Jan. 1892 (S.P.O.I., C.S.O., R.P 513/1920).

80 This memorandum, dated 15 Dec. 1875, was about the differences in duties between the chief clerk and the assistant under-secretary (ibid., R.P 9719/1895).

81 Thomas Burke to William Edward Forster, 14 June 1881 (ibid., R.P 5679/1881).

82 William Edward Forster to Treasury, 20 June 1881, supporting memorandum from T H. Burke to himself on pressure of business in the C.S.O., 14 June 1881 (ibid., R.P 5679/89).

83 Sir Antony MacDonnell to his wife, 16 Nov 1902 (Bodl. MS. Eng.Hist., c 216).

84 Memorandum from Sir Joseph West Ridgeway to chief secretary, 25 Jan. 1895 (S.P.O.I., C.S.O., R.P. 513/1920). Robert Hamilton, with a large family and no private means, deserved an increased allowance of £500 to cope, according to a letter from George Otto Trevelyan to the Treasury, 28 Dec. 1882 (S.P.O.I., Government Letter Book, 27 Dec. 1882-26 Oct. 1883).

85 Entry in D.N.B. T H. Farrer, who protested at his removal from Ireland, considered him ‘one of the ablest, if not the ablest, administrator I have met with during a life spent in the public service’ (The Times, 31 July 1886).

86 The Times, 29 July 1886. Hamilton’s difficulties created a considerable public controversy, which qualifies the arguments of Parris and Clark as applied to Ireland.

87 Daily Chronicle as quoted in Irish Times, 24 July 1886.

88 Irish Times, 7 Jan. 1893. Henry Jephson, a private secretary to Burke and the chief secretaries Forster and Trevelyan indicated that the post of under-secretary was necessarily political in the absence of a parliamentary under-secretary who would look after the party duties of the former. Jephson resigned his post to fight as a liberal candidate. See letter headed ‘The Irish under-secretaryship’ in The Times, 23 Nov. 1886. Larcom had also noted the desirability of appointing a political under secretary for Ireland (N.L.I., Larcom papers, MS 7572).

89 Memoirs of Andrew Patrick Magill (Bodl. Dep c 430), p. 116.

90 Daily Express, 9 May 1882.

91 Sir David Harrel, ‘Recollections and reflections’, 1926, p. 116 (T.C.D., MS 3918b).

92 Ibid., p. 166.

93 Memoirs of Andrew Patrick Magill, p. 133.

94 Report on the organisation of the permanent civil service, pp 67-97. [1713], H.C., 1854, xxvii, 99-129. (Hereafter cited as Report on the civil service, 1852).

95 Ibid., p. 27. After the union, the government of Ireland was administered through civil, military and yeomanry offices and these were consolidated into the Chief Secretary’s Office in 1831.

96 See memorandum from MacDonnell to registrar of the office, 30 Jan. 1904, on future distribution of work in the Chief Secretary’s Office, (S.P.O.I., C.S.O., R.P 27727/1907). See also Memorandum on the organisation of the Chief Secretary’s Office, 1913, p 7-8.

97 Memorandum, Mar. 1882, from the clerks in the office to W E. Forster requesting revision of salaries unchanged since 1867 (S.P.O.I., C.S.O., R.P 8452/1898).

98 Memorandum from Sir J. West Ridgeway to John Morley, 25 Jan. 1892, regarding proposal to reduce the salary of under-secretary. (S.P.O.I., C.S.O., R.P 513/1920).

99 Royal commission on the civil service: second appendix, p. 185, ev. 26, 725.

100 Wright, Maurice, Treasury control of the civil service, 1854-1874 (Oxford, 1969)Google Scholar, ch., provides useful background on the clerical and political manoeuvring to increase establishment levels.

101 Hansard 4 (commons), cxli, 627 (20 Feb. 1905, John Redmond). See also Berkeley, G. F H., ‘The present system of government in Ireland’ in Williams, Basil (ed.), Home rule problems (London, 1911), p. 39, n.1.Google Scholar

102 Hamilton, R. G., ‘The Irish question from an administrative standpoint’ in Speaker, iv (1893), p. 537.Google Scholar

103 An internal document (possibly a ‘blue note’) gave the history of the estimate and the various file numbers in C.S.O., R.P relating to establishment and sub-section costs. Estimates for the House of Commons are of a very general nature. The document used here was for 1916/1917. Subhead A (S.P.O.I.,C.S.O., R.P 22281/20). (Hereafter cited as 1916/17 memorandum on C.S.O. estimates).

104 Report on the civil service, 1852, p. 1.

105 1916/17 memorandum on C.S.O. estimates, ‘General cost of establishment’, p. 1.

106 Ibid.,p. 11.

107 Memorandum on the organisation of the Chief Secretary’s Office, 1913, pp 7-8.

108 See evidence of Dougherty to the Royal commission on the civil service: second appendix, p. 181, ev. 26,652. See also Report from the select committee on miscellaneous expenditure, pp 294-6, for an outline of relationships with the Treasury in 1848.

109 Memorandum, 14 Sept. 1882 (S.P.O.I., C.S.O., R.P. 8452/1898).

110 Memorandum from Sir Antony MacDonnell to registrar of Chief Secretary’s Office, 30 June 1904 (ibid., R.P 27727/1907).

111 Sir David Harrel to Treasury, 21 June 1895, pressing for an increase in salary for Cullinan (ibid., R.P 4989/1911).

112 Royal commission on the civil service: second appendix, p. 182.

113 Headlam, Maurice, Irish reminiscences (London, 1947), pp 27-9.Google Scholar

114 Memorandum on the organisation of the Chief Secretary’s Office, 1913, pp 5-6. See also Dougherty’s description of its functions in Royal commission on the civil service: second appendix, p. 184.

115 Thomas Burke to William Forster, 14 June 1881 (S.P.O.I.,C.S.O., R.P 5679/89).

116 See memorandum of Sir J. West Ridgeway, 30 Jan. 1889, giving a history of the post in a criticism of the administrative arrangements for the control of crime (S.P.O.I., C.S.O., R.P 8452/1898). Richard Hawkins gives an interesting account of the activities of Brackenbury and Jenkinson, the two holders of the post, in ‘Government versus secret societies: the Parnell era’ in Williams, Desmond (ed.), Secret societies in Ireland (Dublin, 1973), pp 104-12.Google Scholar

117 Memorandum from Sir Antony MacDonnell to registrar of Chief Secretary’s Office (S.P.O.I., C.S.ON, R.P 27727/1907); Choille, Breandán Mac Giolla (ed.), Intelligence notes, 1913-16 (Dublin, 1966), pp xxi–xxiv Google Scholar; Royal commission on the civil service: second appendix, p. 184.

118 Sir William Kaye to John Morley. 15 May 1895 (S.P.O.I., C.S.O., R.. 9719/1895).

119 Report of the select committee on miscellaneous expenditure, p. 156, H.C. 1847-8 (543), xviii, appendix 4, estimate no. 19.

120 Report on the civil service, 1852, p. 16.

121 This printed report for Sir Michael Hicks-Beach provides an unusually detailed account, dated 19 Feb. 1876, of the workings of the office, (S.P.O.I., C.S.O., R.P 9719/1895).

122 Annexe to enclosure from William Kaye to Thomas Burke, 26 May 1881, p. 5 (ibid., R.P 5679/89).

123 Memorandum on the organisation of the Chief Secretary’s Office, 1913, p. 3.

124 Trevelyan to Sir Richard Bromley, 9 Dec. 1852 (S.P.O.I., O.P.M.A. 136/17/1852).

125 Trevelyan to Sir Richard Bromley, 22 June 1853 (ibid.).

126 Report on the civil service, 1852, p. 5.

127 Robert Ball to Sir Richard Bromley, 20 Dec. 1852 (S.P.O.I., O.P.M.A. 136/17/1852). See also entry in D.N.B.

128 Report to Sir William Somerville, chief secretary, 4 Jan. 1851 (S.P.O.I., O.P.M.A. 36/17/1852).

129 Report on the civil service, 1852, p. 4.

130 See Armstrong, John,. The European administrative elite (Princeton, 1973)Google Scholar, and Chapman, Richard and Greenaway, J. R., The dynamics of administrative reform London, 1980), ch. 1.Google Scholar

131 Hansard 3 (commons), cccxlvi, 1334 (10 July 1890, J. G. Swift McNeill).

132 Report of the commissioners appointed by the Treasury to inquire into the condition of he civil service in Ireland local government board and General Register Office, and general report [C 789], H.C. 1873, xxii. (Hereafter cited as Treasury report on the Irish civil service, 1873).

133 Nation, n.d., quoted in Opinions of the press on the claims of the Irish civil service; with a report of the proceedings at the deputation to the Right Hon. C.P. Fortescue (Dublin, 1869), p. 15.Google Scholar A copy of this is to be found in the the Chief Secretary’s Office Library pamphlet series, vol. cxlix, no. 4, now part of the Oireachtas Library, Dublin.

134 Hansard 3 (commons), ccx, 2019-24(30 Apr. 1870). See also ibid., ccii, 1620 (7 July 1870). Information on housing and food costs appears in Treasury report on the Irish civil service, 1873, appendices I-II, pp 43-5.

135 Hansard 3 (commons), ccxvi, 1805-29 (4 July 1873).

136 Treasury report on the Irish civil service, 1873, p. 3.

137 Ibid., pp 21-2.

138 Sir William Kaye to John Morley, 15 May 1895 (S.P.O.I., C.S.O., R.P 9719/1895). See also notes on salary of the post in 1916/17 memorandum on C.S.O. estimates.

139 Memorandum on the organisation of the Chief Secretary’s Office, 1913, pp 2-3.

140 Sir Frederick Cullinan received a personal allowance of £100 per annum in 1895 S.P.O.I., C.S.O., R.P. 4689/1911). Wallace had the same amount as head of the administrative division (ibid., R.P. 3239/1900).

141 Memorandum on the organisation ofthe Chief Secretary’s Office, 1913, pp 2-4.

142 There were continual complaints that lower-division clerks were doing duties more appropriate to the upper division. The issue of duty pay arose in this context with demands for extra allowances after the famine of 1879. (S.P.O.I., C.S.O. R.P 23224/1880). See also letter from A. R. Wallace, head of administrative division, to the Treasury, 23 Feb. 1882, regarding duty pay for lower-division clerks (ibid., R.P 12897/1882). Information on the duty pay of John Taylor is located in ibid., R.P. 5506/1888.

143 See list, possibly dated 1892, in ibid., R.P 4947/1894.

144 Duties of the clerks, in waiting were defined by Sir William Kaye, assistant under-secretary, in a minute, 1 Nov. 1882. The size of this file running from 1882 to 1921 reflects the failure to increase the allowance over this period. (S.P.O.I., C.S.O., R.P 2602/46/1921).

145 Memorandum from Sir Frederick Cullinan to under-secretary, 20 Feb. 1901 (ibid., R.P 3521/1901 in R. 119/3). An allowance of £150 p.a. was granted to J. H. Davies, a first-class clerk, in lieu of promotion to a principal clerkship for handling crime statistics. See staff list in ibid., R.P 4947/94.

146 Lord Mayo, chief secretary, to secretary of the Treasury, 3 Oct. 1867 (S.P.O.I., Government Letter Book, 3 Jan. 1867-21 Mar. 1868). A total of £ 1,390 was distributed, the remainder going to the Constabulary, Convict and Prisons Offices.

147 Wright, Maurice, Treasury control of the civil service, 1854-1874 (Oxford, 1969), p. 275.Google Scholar

148 Burke to Treasury. Feb. 1881 (S.P.O.I., C.S.O., R.P 6376/1881). Forster wrote also in June 1881 stating the permanent staff was insufficient to cope with the pressure of business, and added that ‘the Chief Secretary’s Office is overworked to the extent of real danger to the public service’ (S.P.O.I., Government Letter Book, 7 Jan. 1881-18 Jan. 1882).

149 S.P.O.I., C.S.O., R.P 18723/58; also notes in 1916/17 memorandum on C.S.O. Estimates.

150 The additional allowance for the private secretary to the under-secretary was listed as £150 p.a. in Bougler, John, The master key to public offices and the candidates instructor (London, 1860), p. 181.Google Scholar

151 The revised scale for local government clerks after the inquiry of 1873 was listed in S.PO.I., Government Letter Book, 5 Feb. 1873 to 16 Feb. 1874, pp 228-33. These figures can be compared to those listed in the 1876 Treasury report on the Chief Secretary’s Office, which, though unchanged since 1867, were significantly higher (S.P.O.I., C.S.O., R.P 9719/1895, p. 3).

152 Petition of the first-class clerks, 16 Nov. 1900(S.P.O.L, R. 119/3). This is one of the main files on first clerks after 1900.

153 Bougler, Master key to public offices.

154 Kieran Flanagan, ‘The rise and fall of the Celtic ineligible: competitive examinations for the Irish and Indian civil services in relation to the educational and occupational structure of Ireland, 1853-1921’ (unpublished D.Phil, thesis, University of Sussex, 1978), ch. 5.

155 Royal commission on the civil service: fourth report, p. 80.

156 Ibid., pp 227-8.

157 Ibid., p. 80.

158 Memorandum on the organisation of the Chief Secretary’s Office, 1913, pp 4, 19.

159 Thirty-ninth report of the Civil Service Commission, p. v [C. 7888], H.C.I 895, xxvi, 235.

160 Sir Chichester Fortescue to secretary of civil service commissioners (S.P.O.I., Government Letter Book, 22 July-3 Oct. 1870).

161 Memorandum from C.S.O. to civil service commissioners, 19 Sept. 1879 (S.P.O.I., C.S.O., R.P 22097/1882). A letter from the Treasury, 14 Jan. 1871, indicates that the office tried to have itself withdrawn from Schedule A of the order in council of 4 June 1870 (ibid., R.P 9719/1895).

162 Report of Sir Robert Hamilton on reorganisation of Chief Secretary’s Office, 14 Sept. 1882 (ibid., R.P 8452/1898).

163 Ibid. The Treasury endorsed this suggestion in a letter dated 2 Oct. 1882.

164 Memorandum of Sir Robert Hamilton to chief secretary. 15 Oct. 1884, regarding replacement of Henry Jephson (S.P.O.I., C.S.O., R.P 8452/1898). See also file on Connollv (ibid., R.P 2602/30/1921).

165 George Otto Trevelyan to secretary of Treasury, 22 Jan. 1884 (S.P.O.I., Government Letter Book, 27 Oct. 1883-17 Dec. 1884).

166 Memorandum from Sir Antony MacDonnell to chief secretary, 6 Oct. 1904, regarding Treasury response to request for additional clerks for the office (S.P.O.I., R. 15/1924, item 20081).

167 Civil Service certificate and letter, 12 Oct. 1904 (S.P.O.I., R. 15/1924).

168 Memorandum on the organisation of the Chief Secretary’s Office, 1913, p. 4. For further information on Duggan, see S.P.O.I., C.S.O., R.P 22596/1910.

169 See documents regarding pension position of Hamilton, who came to the office between 18 July 1881 and 30 Sept. 1882, in ibid., R.P 5679/1889).

170 Royal commission on the civil service: second appendix, p. 185.

171 Quoted in Wright, Maurice, Treasury control of the civil service, 1854-1874 (Oxford, 1969), p. 99.Google Scholar

172 Memorandum from James Dougherty to Sir Antony MacDonnell, 6 June 1905 (S.P.O.I., R.I 19/3, item 19229).

173 Royal commission on the civil service: second appendix, p. 195.

174 Memoirs of Andrew Phillip Magill (Bodl. Dep.c.430), p. 132.

175 Blakeley, Brian. The Colonial Office, 1868-1892 (Durham, N.C., 1972).Google Scholar

176 ‘Periscope’ (George Chester Duggan) ‘The last days of Dublin Castle’ in Blackwoods Magazine, Aug. 1922, pp 137-90. A large file containing the establishment papers of John Taylor can be found in S.P.O.I., C.S.O., R.P 7653/1890. See correspondence relating to earlier part of his Dublin career in S.P.O.I., C.S.O., R.P 5506/1888. In a letter of 24 Dec. 1905 Bryce denied rumours that he had failed to appoint Taylor as his private secretary because of charges of partiality and bias; he claimed that in eleven years experience as head of a department ‘I can safely say I never knew a more loyal, straight or impartial permanent official’ (N.L.I. Bryce papers, MS 11011). See also McColgan, John, British policy and the Irish administration, 1920-22 (London, 1983), ch. 1.Google Scholar

177 Memorandum of duties submitted to Samuel Anderson, crown solicitor, 28 May 1884 (S.P.O.I., C.S.O., R.P 12477/1884).

178 This was a printed petition dated 19 Dec. 1883 (ibid., R.P 8452/1898).

179 Note added to letter from Matheson to Bromley, 24 Dec. 1852 (S. P.O.I., O.P.M.A. 136/17/1852).

180 Matheson applied to the Treasury for a pension, retiring at the age of 77. His statement of services was contained within a letter to Sir Michael Hicks-Beach, 4 Aug. 1875, located in the main file on the assistant under-secretaries from 1876 to 95 (S.P.O.I., C.S.O., R.P 9719/1895).

181 Georgc Chester Duggan, ‘The life of a civil servant’ ch. 3 (location of MS now unknown). Cullinan’s retirement papers are in S.P.O.I., C.S.O., R.P 4989/1911. See also entry in Who was who, 1897-1916.

182 Files on claims for pension rights often contained accounts of service in the Chief Secretary’s Office. The papers on Laurence Dowdall are particularly valuable (S.P.O.I., C.S.O., R.P 3239/1900).

183 Brian Blakeley, The Colonial Office, 1868-1892, ch. 6.

184 I am most indebted to Dr Ian Hamnett for his helpful comments on the final draft of this article.